Sony unveils the Xperia Z2

It doesn’t seem that long ago that Sony was taking the wraps of the Z1 but today they have announced its successor, the Z2. When we reviewed the Z1 back in November the main issue we had with the phone was its screen. Sony are moving quick to address that issue with the new phone arriving just 6 months after the last one.

The main highlights of the upgrade are:

5.2” Full HD TRILUMINO Display

2.3Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor

3GB RAM

3200mAh battery

20.7 MP camera that is now capable of capturing 4K resolution video

S-Force Front Surround sound via stereo speakers

Android 4.4.2 out of the box

The phone is said to be available from next month but there is no word on pricing yet. You can read the full press release below by clicking the button and we’ll update the article once we get more concrete details surrounding pricing and launch date.

“With Xperia Z2 we have taken our premium Z series to the next level, delivering unique experiences that only Sony can offer,” said Kunimasa Suzuki, President and CEO, Sony Mobile Communications. “We have redefined the smartphone once again through our camera. Xperia Z2 offers an innovative experience that captures memories in stunning detail through 4K video shooting, or offers new ways to use the camera with our unique Xperia camera apps. Furthermore, the Best of Sony has been delivered in the sound quality and customers are now able to listen to their music even in noisy environments without interruptions thanks to our acclaimed digital noise cancelling technology.”

These features work together to bring you sharp, vivid and beautiful photos and videos no matter what the circumstances. With new enhanced video mode, you can now capture memories in stunning detail in 4K resolution (3840×2160 pixels/30p) at four times the detail of Full HD, delivering the world’s best camera and camcorder in a waterproof smartphone1. Plus, SteadyShot™ image stabilisation technology ensures your footage will stay smooth even if you are walking. The new Movie Creator allows you to trim and crop your videos so that you can easily pick out what you want to share. Insert dramatic slowdown effects at one or more places on the timeline of the video, then preview the results before you save and share your video.

The smartest smartphone around with a growing ecosystem of Xperia camera apps

Enhance your mobile experience with a growing range of innovative Xperia camera apps. In addition to Info-eye™, Social live and Timeshift burst, Xperia Z2 also comes pre-loaded with new Xperia camera apps for both photo and video.

· Timeshift video: To relive every moment of the action in slow motion detail, the new Timeshift video mode lets you shoot in 120 frames per second and select scenes to slow the playback speed for dramatic slow motion effects exactly where you want, even underwater.

· Creative effect: Use a range of new creative effects for your photos and videos. Available in real-time for video, these adjustments enhance your clips with a range of effects such as colours, image trails, mirror and motion effects.

· Background defocus: This new camera app simulates a shallow depth of field. Capture two photos at different focus settings and blend together the different depths, leading to a blurred out background for more professional looking photos.

· AR effect: Now available for video recording, have some fun with your photos and videos with new augmented reality animations, including sound effects for video.

· Vine4: Create short, beautiful, looping videos in a simple and fun way for your friends and family to see – all from your camera’s viewfinder. Plus, using the dedicated camera button, you can capture Vine videos underwater as well.

In addition to these fun and useful pre-loaded Xperia camera applications, there’s a whole range of extra apps for you to enjoy including Wikitude Places, Evernote, VI Sports and more. Simply go into your camera viewfinder, tap the camera mode icon and then click on ‘+Apps’ to see all the latest apps available on Sony Select to enhance your smartphone experience.

Natural colours true to life can be difficult to reproduce on a display. TRILUMINOSTM Display for mobile with brand new Live Colour LED uses red & green phosphor with blue LEDs and customised colour filters to produce a brighter and more uniform light. The result is richer colours on the screen for all of your smartphone viewing without the risk of saturation.

With Xperia Z2, you also get a range of entertainment right from the moment you turn your smartphone on. Xperia Z2 owners will have access to an exclusive content offer that includes six blockbuster movies from Sony Pictures, including Captain Phillips, through the Video Unlimited service as well as 30 days free trial of the Music Unlimited3 service and a range of PlayStation®Mobile games.

This exclusive out of the box content offer is available on Xperia Z2 through Sony’s range of integrated entertainment apps with a new and intuitive user interface:

· “What’s New” app helps you discover new and recommended movies, music, games and apps for enjoyment on your Xperia Z2 – all accessible from an informative and interactive widget on the home screen.

· “WALKMAN®” and Movies applications provide access to a global catalogue of more than 25 million songs on the “WALKMAN®” app through the Music Unlimited4 service and tens of thousands of movies and TV series on the Movies app through the Video Unlimited5 service from Sony Entertainment Network.

· PlayStation® App gives you the chance to enjoy an enhanced gaming experience – keeping you connected to your gaming friends and the games you love to play.

· PlayMemories Online5 – a cloud-based image and video service that is integrated into the Album application. A new ‘All Sync’ feature enables users to instantly auto-upload all of their photos without storage limitation5 to enjoy on all your devices.

Xperia Z2 is armed with the power to multi-task and enjoy everything from super-fast web surfing to video streaming without the wait. With the fully integrated Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 801 processor with 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait CPUs and 4G LTE, Xperia Z2 offers ultra-fast performance for the apps and entertainment you want to enjoy, without the interruptions. The Snapdragon 801 also features the Adreno™ 330 GPU for rich graphics and gaming and a dual ISP for a seamless camera, camcorder and display experience.

Xperia Z2 also includes a large 3200 mAh battery which provides outstanding, class-leading battery performance. Plus, with Sony’s Battery STAMINA Mode, you can stay connected even longer, as it automatically turns off the functions you don’t need to save power when your display is inactive. As soon as you press the power button to wake up your screen, everything is up and running again.

Unrivalled ecosystem of companion products and smart accessories, including SmartWear

Sony offers the most comprehensive range of innovative companion products and accessories to give you new ways to use and enjoy your smartphone. With 154 NFC enabled one-touch connected products – including TVs, headphones, audio speakers, tablets, and more – it has never been easier to connect and enjoy your content across multiple devices.